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American Marijuana, American Style!Tue, 30 May 2017 03:06:31 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.984704630Cannabis use and fewer parasites.http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=464
Sun, 22 Nov 2015 03:26:29 +0000http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=464Cannabis use and fewer parasites. The more that hunter-gatherers in the Congo smoke cannabis, the less they are infected by parasitic intestinal worms, according to Washington State University (WSU) researchers who say that the tribe may unconsciously be, in effect, smoking medical marijuana. Ed Hagen, a WSU Vancouver anthropologist, explored cannabis use among the Aka […]

The more that hunter-gatherers in the Congo smoke cannabis, the less they are infected by parasitic intestinal worms, according to Washington State University (WSU) researchers who say that the tribe may unconsciously be, in effect, smoking medical marijuana.

Aka foragers

Ed Hagen, a WSU Vancouver anthropologist, explored cannabis use among the Aka foragers to see if people away from the cultural and media influences of Western civilization might use plant toxins medicinally. “In the same way we have a taste for salt, we might have a taste for psychoactive plant toxins, because these things kill parasites,” he said. Hagen’s study appears in the American Journal of Human Biology.

The Aka are a “pygmy” people of the Congo basin. As one of the world’s last groups of hunter-gatherers, they offer anthropologists a window into a way of life accounting for some 99 percent of human history. They might also offer an alternative hypothesis to explain human drug use.

The prevailing explanation is that recreational drugs “hijack the pleasure centers of the brain,” making people feel good. But they also trigger mechanisms that tell us we’re consuming something toxic, tasting bitter and making us feel sick.

“So we thought, ‘Why would so many people around the world be using plant toxins in this very ‘recreational’ way? If you look at non-human animals, they do the same thing, and what a lot of biologists think is they’re doing it to kill parasites,” said Hagen.

Hagen surveyed almost all of the nearly 400 adult Aka along the Lobaye River in the Central African Republic and found roughly 70 percent of the men and 6 percent of the women used cannabis. The polling was supported by bioassays of the men that found high enough levels of THCA, a metabolic byproduct of cannabis’s active ingredient, to indicate that 68 percent of them had recently smoked.

Stool samples collected from the men to gauge their worm burden found some 95 percent of them were infected with helminth. But those who consumed cannabis had a significantly lower rate of infection. Additionally, a year after being treated with a commercial anthelmintic, the cannabis users were reinserted with fewer worms.

The researchers are unsure when the Aka might have first smoked cannabis or when it arrived on the continent. It may have come with traders from the Indian subcontinent around the first century A.D., but Hagen and his colleagues say it might not have been smoked until European colonization in the 17th Century.

]]>464How To Make a Apple Pipe & Can Pipehttp://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=408
Sun, 15 Mar 2015 06:23:36 +0000http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=408How To Make a Pipe. Learn To Make a Apple Pipe & Can Pipe It is a good idea to know how to make a pipe just in case you find yourself in a desperate situation with no pipe. It is fairly easy to make a marijuana pipe out of different household objects, and materials. If […]

How To Make a Pipe.

Learn To Make a Apple Pipe & Can Pipe

It is a good idea to know how to make a pipe just in case you find yourself in a desperate situation with no pipe. It is fairly easy to make a marijuana pipe out of different household objects, and materials. If you find yourself without a pipe most likely you will be forced to use the resources around you. Simply take a look around you and consider different objects ability to contribute in making a pipe.

Most commonly found in the area is some sort of fruit like an apple, or potatoe, pens, cans, bottles, paper clips, foil, screwdriver, etc… Just about anything can come in handy in a tough situation.

In this section we show how to make a pipe out of an apple (apple pipe), and how tomake a marijuana pipe out of a can (can pipe).

How To Make A Pipe
(Apple Pipe)

Learn how to make a pipe, a weed pipe out of apple (aka fruit pipe) in five easy steps.

Making a fruit pipe

MATERIALS

1. 1 delicious apple/potatoe/alternative.

2.1 small screwdriver, or average size pen with its guts removed. (small screwdriver suggested)

3. A lighter, weed, and paper towels are the only other tools needed.

CAUTION: Bigger the holes the more weed gets sucked through which = bad news! (You want to burn the weed not suck it into your mouth).

1. Twist off apple stem and grab your chosen poker, preferably a small screwdriver, and make your first hole straight through the top of the apple just slightly past the center of the apple. Don’t poke the hole too deep. This hole resembles the bowl area of the apple pipe where you will be placing your marijuana.

2. The next hole will form a 90 degree angle tunnel or an ‘L’ shaped tunnel in the apple. So find a nice spot on the apple to make the hole resembling a mouthpiece. Consider the comfort in your hand, and whether you are going to burn your nose when you light the bowl. Adjust your holes placement accordingly, your first two holes should form a 90 degree ‘L’ to the center of the apple.

3.Your third and final hole in making a pipe is the carb. Make this hole where you can comfortably place your thumb either on the right or left side of the apple about a quarter of the way around from the mouthpiece hole. Connect this hole to the corner point of the the ‘L’ tunnel. Do not make the hole deeper than the core of the apple pipe.

4. Blow into all holes of the apple to clear out remaining chunks of fruit left in the fresh apple pipe. Dry the fruit pipecompletely, throw a couple of small nugs up on top, press down slightly, plug the carb with finger, burn, breathe and feel the marijuana effect by hitting an apple pipe.

How To Make A Pipe
(The Can Pipe)

A can pipe is a convenient and easy to make marijuana pipe if you find yourself with weed but without a pipe. You can make a marijuana pipe out of a can in mere seconds, however, we have heard the myth that smoking out of a can may give off a small amount of harmful chemicals from the ink printed on the can, and possibly from the thin aluminum structure of the can overheating.

We at this point carry no evidence to support this myth, however, our common sense tells me it probably is not a good idea to recommend this way to to learn how to make a pipe. Sometimes though, it is a convenient way how to make a pipe in a must do situation.

Making a can pipe
MATERIALS:

A soda can. Drink its contents, rinse it with hot water, then rinse again.

A poker/poking tool, always carry a paper clip in your wallet just in case, or you can use a pen, an earring, a small key, a really small screwdriver, or any other tiny sharp object that can impale.

1. Now take your can and imagine making a marijuana pipe. It is going to need a flat bowl area for the weed, a carb to clear the smoke, and a mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is easybecause it is already there. It’s the hole you drink out of on the top of the can.

2. Make a flat area for your weed pipe by making an indention that is aligned above the mouthpiece.

3. Grab your poker and make your first hole in the center of the indention. Be careful with your strength in poking the hole, if you put too big of a hole you will need to start over on a new can.

If you think the first hole is too small make another one either right next to the first hole, or make the first hole slightly bigger. If you put too many or too big of holes you will be sucking in more air than smoke. No more than three small holes.

4. Using the same poker make a slightly larger hole in the side of the can where you will be placing your thumb. This will serve as the carb when clearing the smoke out of the can pipe.5. Place your nugs in the indented bowl area of your easy to make marijuana pipe, plug the carb with your thumb, burn, inhale, and feel the marijuana effect of a can pipe.

…..Seems I remember crashing College Art Depts. late ‘abc’ = (after bar close) and all the artist would meet for party sessions in the Kiln room..Laugh..Laugh..Good peps…Good times..E

Puff, Pass & Paint isn’t about making the perfect piece of art.

It’s about being part of an atmosphere that is relaxed, comfortable, open-minded, and allowing yourself to freely create your own original masterpiece.

Painters and cannabis-users of various levels of expertise and from all over the world attend Puff, Pass & Paint to experience a sense of community in an intimate, inspired setting.

All paints, brushes, 11″ x 14″ canvas panel, and any other required art supplies are included in the cost of the class.

Smoking, eating edibles, and other marijuana intake is allowed (and encouraged!), but certainly not required.

BYOC, BYOB, wear clothes you aren’t afraid to get paint on, and come prepared to smoke, paint, chat, indulge, and probably laugh harder than you ever have before.

“I’m kind of a nervous painter, but this class allowed me to just let go. It was very laid-back and very welcoming, with people of all different ages. I would take my dad to this class.”

“…she repeatedly encouraged us to divert from the path of her instruction if we felt the impulse, reminding everyone that we were here to enjoy the process of creation more than the end result. I was pleased that her goal was to promote divergent thinking over following instructions…”

– Josiah Hesse, Colorado Public Radio

“Maybe it was the weed, maybe it was the company, maybe it was the therapeutic nature of painting, but I was starting to feel a weight lifting off of my shoulders… I have NEVER, since becoming a mom, done something so much for myself.” – Brittany Driver, The Cannabist

Heidi Keyes takes time to breathe deeply, travel often, and paint daily. She currently lives in and adores Denver, and teaches classes out of her home studio. Her life is as spontaneous as her art. She’s an established landscape painter whose work has an emphasis on vibrant color and texture.

She graduated from Carthage College with her BA in Studio Art in 2009, and she is an internationally exhibited and collected artist. Originally from Wisconsin.

]]>394Graphene Super-capacitor Breakthrough Battery Made from Hemp.http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=360
Thu, 05 Mar 2015 08:02:03 +0000http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=360Marijuana could solve one of America’s biggest problems, without anyone smoking it As Hemp makes a comeback in the US after a decades-long ban on its cultivation, scientists are reporting that fibers from the plant can pack as much energy and power as graphene, long-touted as the model material for super capacitors. Marijuana (Hemp) can be used […]

Marijuanacould solve one of America’s biggest problems, without anyone smoking it

As Hemp makes a comeback in the US after a decades-long ban on its cultivation, scientists are reporting that fibers from the plant can pack as much energy and power as graphene, long-touted as the model material for super capacitors.

At the American Chemical Society’s national meeting this week, researchers from the University of Alberta unveiled a way to create extremely efficient batteries called “super capacitors” using specially treated Hemp, a non-psychoactive variation of the Marijuana plant.

That means Hemp could be a low-cost, renewable raw material that revolutionizes energy storage.

How it works

Hemp fibers are heated over the course of 24 hrs, causing the material’s carbon atoms to align and form nanosheets, each of which are only one carbon atom thick, and which can be used as conductors in batteries.

The basic structure of a supercapacitor

One of the battery’s most impressive features is its ability to discharge energy very quickly, which could drastically cut down charging times.

You could recharge the device you’re reading this article on in seconds.

Why it’s a breakthrough

Prior to this finding, super capacitors used lab-created carbon nanosheets, a material called graphene.

Hemp is proving to be far more efficient.

According to a press release, “The hemp-based devices yielded energy densities as high as 12 watt-hours per kilogram, 2 to 3 times higher than commercial counterparts.”

That means we can charge up electronic devices faster and more efficiently than we currently do.

But, the storage capacity of a Hemp super capacitors is less than ones that use graphene.

Despite a smaller storage capacity, Hemp is a better choice, because graphene is far more expensive to synthesize, and Hemp is a sturdy, renewable resource that can flourish in a range of climates.

With this discovery, super capacitors could rely exclusively on Hemp rather than graphene, and the batteries would be inexpensive and easily replaceable.

At this point, it is a proof of concept, but it could challenge the current market for energy storage devices, which would struggle to compete with such a cheap alternative.

In 2004 two Russian-born scientists, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, along with others, published the first electronic measurements proving they had isolated graphene. They had removed carbon flakes from graphite using bits of sticky tape – which ultimately led to them winning a Nobel prize for physics in 2010.

“The theory only really held true for two dimensions, but in actual fact the crystal grows in a three-dimensional space and the small surface fluctuations, like waves, stabilize the crystal,” said Goerbig. Experiments rapidly confirmed the marvelous behavior of this new material, which can be explained by a kind of sea of electrons on the surface that nothing can stop and that do not interact with each other. It’s as though the electrons have no mass and move at a speed 300 times slower than light. The mathematical equation to describe them is closer to that for high-energy particles than for solid matter, hence this outstanding performance that suggests so many potential uses.

Being transparent as well as a good conductor, graphene could replace the electrodes in the indium used in touchscreens. Since it is light, graphene could be integrated into composite materials to eliminate the impact of lightning on aircraft fuselages. It is also waterproof and would be perfect to use in hydrogen reservoirs.

Since nothing can stop the electrons, graphene cannot be “switched off” so in theory it is of little use in transistors, which are the key components of modern electronic goods. However, research is being carried out into ways of creating an artificial band gap that would enable it to be switched off and therefore used for that purpose.

But With all the Advantages of Super capacitors.
As you can see above, graphene is a one-atom thick sheet of carbon atoms, very similar to carbon nanotubes, except for the “tube” part. This wonder-material has very interesting electrical properties that have allowed researchers to create a graphene-based super capacitor that exhibits a “specific energy density of 85.6 Wh/kg at room temperature and 136 Wh/kg at 80 °C.” This is similar to nickel-metal hydride batteries, the chemistry used in most current hybrid vehicles (like the Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion hybrid).The main difference is that super capacitors can be cycled an almost unlimited number of times (they don’t lose their ability to hold a charge like batteries), and they can be charged and discharged extremely quickly (as long as you have a “fat pipe” to supply the power). This would make them ideal for hybrids and electric cars iftheir power-density was high enough (so far it isn’t) and their cost went down.

This breakthrough is bringing closer the day when the power-density part of the equation is solved, and while the cost of graphene is still high, it should go down with volume production (after all, it’s only carbon).

Graphene: The Super-Material of the 21st Century

Graphene – a thin sheet of carbon atoms – along with its cousin, the carbon nanotube, is one of the most promising materials discovered in a long time. It has superlative properties when it comes to strength, thinness, conductivity, optics, etc. We know a lot about, but scientists and engineers are still finding new ways to use it. The latest discovery has to do with a property of graphene that makes it super permeable with respect to water.

When a metal container was sealed with such a film, even the most sensitive equipment was unable to detect air or any other gas, including helium, to leak through.

It came as a complete surprise that, when the researchers tried the same with ordinary water, they found that it evaporates without noticing the graphene seal. Water molecules diffused through the graphene-oxide membranes with such a great speed that the evaporation rate was the same independently whether the container was sealed or completely open.

Dr Rahul Nair, who was leading the experimental work, offers the following explanation: “Graphene oxide sheets arrange in such a way that between them there is room for exactly one layer of water molecules. They arrange themselves in one molecule thick sheets of ice which slide along the graphene surface with practically no friction.

“If another atom or molecule tries the same trick, it finds that graphene capillaries either shrink in low humidity or get clogged with water molecules.”

This should allow graphene to be used to purify water, removing everything else from it and thus making it drinkable.

There might be other technical or economic reasons why graphene won’t be used in water filtration any time soon, but economies of scale should make it cheaper to produce every year, and this super permeability could make it useful for at least some water filtration tasks (i.e. when you need to remove extremely toxic molecules from water and you need to be sure that you caught every last one of them).

]]>360Colorado sold a total of 67 tons of marijuana in one year.http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=303
Sat, 28 Feb 2015 06:33:49 +0000http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=303Consumers in Colorado bought more than 17 tons of recreational marijuana buds during the first year of the state’s new retail market, but sales of medicinal pot still outstripped that at almost 50 tons, officials said on Friday. In a national first, voters in Colorado and Washington state opted to legalize recreational marijuana use by […]

Consumers in Colorado bought more than 17 tons of recreational marijuana buds during the first year of the state’s new retail market, but sales of medicinal pot still outstripped that at almost 50 tons, officials said on Friday.

In a national first, voters in Colorado and Washington state opted to legalize recreational marijuana use by adults in landmark twin ballots in 2012. The first retail stores opened in Colorado on Jan 1, 2014.

States such as Oregon and Alaska that have now also voted to legalize recreational pot, and others where lawmakers face proposals to do so, are watching the Colorado results closely.

State tax officials say sales hit nearly $700 million last year, with medical marijuana accounting for $386 million and recreational pot bringing in $313 million.

In its first annual report, the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division said 109,578 pounds (49.7 tons) of medical marijuana flowers were sold in 2014, while 38,660 pounds (17.5 tons) were sold on the retail market. Total 67.2 tons. =148238 pounds.

But recreational sales of pot-infused edible products, such as candies and cookies, outstripped medical sales by about 2.85 million units to 1.96 million, the report said.

It said 322 retail stores were licensed at the end of last year, up from about 200 six months earlier, while 833 licenses were issued to retail businesses in general, and 1,416 medical marijuana businesses were approved by the state.

It said medical businesses were cultivating around 300,000 marijuana plants on average each month during 2014, while the number of retail plants rose steadily from fewer than 25,000 in January to nearly 217,000 during December.

The report noted that more than twice as many Colorado jurisdictions had “completely opted out” of allowing either retail or medicinal pot businesses to operate than had permitted them.

Sixty-seven jurisdictions allow medical and retail licensees, 21 permit only medical, and five only retail, while 228 jurisdictions prohibit them both.

The state’s marijuana laws have been challenged in federal court by neighboring Nebraska and Oklahoma, which argue weed is smuggled across their borders, as well as by some Colorado residents who say the pot industry has hurt their families, businesses or property values.

Supporters say voters have chosen to take the trade out of the hands of criminals, and a Quinnipiac University Poll this week showed that 58 percent of Colorado residents support marijuana legalization, versus 38 percent against it.

]]>303Greedy Colorado Officials squeeze more money out of medical patients.http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=281
Fri, 27 Feb 2015 04:10:13 +0000http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=281Greedy Colorado tax officials assumed $70 million pot taxes,made about $44 million, so a crackdown to squeeze more tax money out of the medical pot patients. A crackdown on medical marijuana growers in Colorado passed its first and toughest test in the state Legislature on Thursday. The bill’s 5-0 bipartisan approval in the Senate […]

]]>Greedy Colorado tax officials assumed $70 million pot taxes,made about $44 million, so a crackdown to squeeze more tax money out of the medical pot patients.

A crackdown on medical marijuana growers in Colorado passed its first and toughest test in the state Legislature on Thursday.

The bill’s 5-0 bipartisan approval in the Senate Health & Human Services Committee gives law enforcement and state pot regulators hope that years of unsuccessful attempts to curb unregulated pot growers are nearing an end.

The bill changes rules for caregivers, who in Colorado are people designated to grow medical marijuana on behalf of others.

Colorado has about 3,000 marijuana caregivers but no statewide registry of where they’re growing pot. As a result, police have no way to verify claims that growing sites are legal.

“For a lot of years now, law enforcement has struggled to identify legitimate caregivers and marijuana grows and those that are operating illegally,” said Doug Darr, the retired Adams County sheriff who testified on behalf of the statewide sheriff’s association.

Caregivers have insisted for years that Colorado’s medical marijuana amendment, passed by voters in 2000, doesn’t require them to register.

This year’s bill attempts to make both camps happy by telling police that they can only arrest caregivers with unregistered growing sites, forcing the growers to go to court to prove they’re following the law.

Caregivers said they still fear that registries could be used by law enforcement for future convictions if Colorado pot laws change. “Patients and caregivers will be at risk,” said Teri Robnett, a marijuana patient advocate.

Others said that the crackdown is an attempt to squeeze more tax money out of the pot business. Caregivers aren’t taxed, and they’ve been blamed by many lawmakers for Colorado missing marijuana tax targets. Colorado made about $44 million from new recreational pot taxes last year, not $70 million as projected.

Colorado tax officials assumed many medical pot patients would drop out of the caregiver system once retail pot stores opened to all adults over 21 last year. Instead, Colorado’s medical pot business has grown, in part because recreational pot is taxed about 30 percent or more, depending on the jurisdiction.

“The concern here is that we have a regulated market operating right alongside an unregulated market,” said Lewis Koski of the state Department of Revenue, which regulates the commercial marijuana industry.

Several patients complained the oversight would increase costs.

“This bill was introduced … on the assumption that people were breaking the law to avoid paying taxes,” said Larisa Bolivar of the Cannabis Caregivers Alliance.

But both Democrats and Republicans on the panel sided with state officials and law enforcement, not the patients. “This is something to assist law enforcement agencies to tell when there is a legitimate grow versus something that might not be for medicinal purposes,” said Sen. Beth Martinez Humenik, R-Thornton.

The measure now heads to another Senate committee before facing a vote by the full Senate.

The bill’s prospects are strong. The bill won the support Thursday of Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, who voted for it after years of opposing other attempts to limit medical marijuana patients.
___

]]>281Price of marijuana goes down! Dancing in the Streets!http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=275
Fri, 27 Feb 2015 02:37:03 +0000http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=275Last October brought a dramatic change to Colorado’s recreational marijuana market when the state eliminated its vertical integration rule and opened up the industry to new operators. These moves have spawned business opportunities and paved the way for a wholesale cannabis market, but they have also created challenges for existing cultivation operations and led to […]

]]>Last October brought a dramatic change to Colorado’s recreational marijuana market when the state eliminated its vertical integration rule and opened up the industry to new operators.

These moves have spawned business opportunities and paved the way for a wholesale cannabis market, but they have also created challenges for existing cultivation operations and led to a shift in the industry’s dynamics. They have also sparked fears of an impending price collapse that could turn the industry on its head in the coming months.

“A lot of the people in the industry realize that there’s an imminent price collapse that’s coming because of all of the stand-alone growers that have come online since October,” said Toni Fox, the owner of 3D Cannabis Center, a rec shop in Denver. “We’re talking thousands, millions of square feet of grow space that were not online that are now. And those are stand-alone growers, so they’re going to flood the wholesale market, and the price of marijuana is going to collapse.”

Spike in Business Activity

When Colorado’s rec industry got up and running on Jan. 1, 2014, only existing medical marijuana businesses could apply for permits to get into the rec side of the industry. But the state opened up the application process last summer to other entrepreneurs who didn’t already have MMJ operations, and then began issuing those permits on Oct. 1.

That date also signaled an end to a mandate that rec shops grow at least 70% of the cannabis they sell, which helped bolster the wholesale cannabis market and allowed cultivation-only focused businesses to emerge. (MMJ dispensaries must still grow the majority of what they sell.)

The changes have led to a noticeable increase in business activity. The number of licensed rec marijuana companies has jumped by roughly 35% since Oct. 1. As of early this month, there were 869 licensed rec businesses in the state, compared with 644 in September.

The 225 new recreational permits issued in the past four months include licenses for 92 retailers, 99 cultivation operations, 30 infused product manufacturers and four testing labs.

And the number keeps climbing. In January alone, the agency licensed 12 new rec stores and 18 new cultivators.

By comparison, it awarded just 34 new MMJ permits from Oct. 1 through early February.

Price War Coming?

The rise of the wholesale cannabis market and the increase in new companies has pushed down prices to some degree.

According to Cannabase, an online marketplace that connects retailers and wholesale growers, the price of recreational marijuana dropped roughly $600 per pound between September and December last year.

At the same time, Cannabase found that supply has skyrocketed in the same time frame.

“The margins are getting squeezed,” said Cannabase CEO Jennifer Beck. She added that there’s “absolutely” a price crash on the way for Colorado’s marijuana industry, but optimistically predicted that it’ll wind up being a “blip on the radar” in the long term.

GeneralShowAd1 300 Fears of Marijuana Price Crash, Bloodbath in Colorado as Regulatory Changes Take HoldFox painted a much darker picture.

A year ago, she was purchasing wholesale cannabis from other shops for $4,000 a pound. Since then, it’s gone down to an average of $2,000 a pound in recent months, she said.

In mid-February, Fox had sellers offering her marijuana for just $1,200 a pound. And she fully expects that by the summer, wholesalers will be offering marijuana to shops for $500 a pound.

“The people that are in this industry better be ready for a war, and it’s going to be a bloodbath this summer,” Fox said.

Fox said that’s one of the reasons she’s decided to sell her Denver store and move full-time to Salida, a mountain town three hours southwest of the state’s largest metro area, where she has a second smaller cannabis shop. She’s even willing to lose out on a possible profit from selling 3D just because she doesn’t want to have to deal with the price war she sees on the horizon.

“I know if I could give it another few months, I might be able to get a little more for it, but with the impending price collapse, and the wars that are about to happen, I feel that now is a great time to exit the competitive market,” Fox said.

Overproduction = Black Market Boost

Michael Elliot, the executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group, said he’s been hearing from concerned companies that overproduction could lead some desperate cultivators to turn to the black market, to get whatever price they can instead of simply destroying product they can’t unload.

“What I’ve heard is there’s a lot of low-quality product out there, and I’ve heard a lot of people are concerned that because it’s low quality, it’s not going to sell,” Elliot said. “(Diversion to the black market) is one of the core eight principles that the Department of Justice discussed that we as a state have to do everything we can to prevent. So the problem with overproduction is if we’re producing more than is being demanded in Colorado, that’s the danger, is that it leads to illegal diversion.”

ED OP{ …. concerned that because it’s low quality, it’s not going to sell,” Elliot said. “(Diversion to the black market) ??? Shitty weed is shitty weed, no one smokes shitty weed,in state out of state, black market or not. Diversion to the Edibles and concentrate market is the more logical, less hassle, route to follow.}

Elliot’s worry is that if the issuance of new business licenses by the state leads to overproduction, and if that in turn winds up boosting the black market either in Colorado or outside its borders.

ED OP{ The price of weed in MO is the same in CO, cuz the folks from WA grow in MO too. Every state around a person can get weed, good weed, grow THERE for close to the same prices as CO.}

He went so far as to suggest some “reasonable caps” for the Colorado cannabis industry, and said the fact that there are already some production caps is a step in the right direction. The MED might even consider slowing down or stopping issuing new licenses for a while, Elliot said.

“We’re not taking a position right now on whether they should stop issuing these grow licenses,” Elliot stated, but added that it’s “certainly something they could do to help address the problem.”

Not All Gloomy

Others are still upbeat about the forces at play in Colorado’s market, and say it’s too soon to tell what the long-term effect of so many new businesses will be.

“Really, it’s going to take several more months to see the impact on the market,” said Christian Sederberg, an attorney who works closely with the cannabis industry. “At this point, I think it’s too early to measure the impact. But in general, allowing new people to engage in the market as retailers and cultivators is a good thing.”

Sederberg also pointed to the tiny time frame for businesses between Oct. 1 – when the MED first started handing out new business licenses – and February. That small of a window, he said, wouldn’t yield enough data to really assess how the October changes have really affected the industry across the state.

That being said, Sederberg added that he wouldn’t be surprised to see some businesses fail this year – or get bought out – with the added competition.

“These are difficult business plans to sustain, especially if a lot of your competitors are already vertically integrated,” Sederberg said.

For some in the trade, however, the boom in licenses and growers has been good news. Edibles manufacturers, for example, now have far much more to choose from when it comes to picking the right product.

“We had periods of time last year when access to trim was challenging,” said Joe Hodas, chief marketing officer at Dixie Elixirs. “We didn’t have it when we needed it, and now we have pretty safe supply, to we’re able to produce products on an appropriate schedule, we’re not back-ordered on things, so we’re definitely seeing a benefit there.”ule and opened up the industry to new players.

These moves have spawned business opportunities and paved the way for a wholesale cannabis market, but they have also created challenges for existing cultivation operations and led to a shift in the industry’s dynamics. They’ve also sparked fears of an impending price collapse that could turn the industry on its head in the coming months.

“A lot of the people in the industry realize that there’s an imminent price collapse that’s coming because of all of the stand-alone growers that have come online since October,” said Toni Fox, the owner of 3D Cannabis Center, a rec shop in Denver. “We’re talking thousands, millions of square feet of grow space that were not online that are now. And those are stand-alone growers, so they’re going to flood the wholesale market, and the price of marijuana is going to collapse.”

Spike in Business Activity

When Colorado’s rec industry got up and running on Jan. 1, 2014, only existing medical marijuana businesses could apply for permits to get into the rec side of the industry. But the state opened up the application process last summer to other entrepreneurs who didn’t already have MMJ operations, and then began issuing those permits on Oct. 1.

That date also signaled an end to a mandate that rec shops grow at least 70% of the cannabis they sell, which helped bolster the wholesale cannabis market and allowed cultivation-only focused businesses to emerge. (MMJ dispensaries must still grow the majority of what they sell.)

The changes have led to a noticeable increase in business activity. The number of licensed rec marijuana companieshas jumped by roughly 35% since Oct. 1. As of early this month, there were 869 licensed rec businesses in the state, compared with 644 in September.

The 225 new recreational permits issued in the past four months include licenses for 92 retailers, 99 cultivation operations, 30 infused product manufacturers and four testing labs.

And the number keeps climbing. In January alone, the agency licensed 12 new rec stores and 18 new cultivators.

By comparison, it awarded just 34 new MMJ permits from Oct. 1 through early February.

Price War Coming?

The rise of the wholesale cannabis market and the increase in new companies has pushed down prices to some degree.

According to Cannabase, an online marketplace that connects retailers and wholesale growers, the price of recreational marijuana dropped roughly $600 per poundbetween September and December last year.

“The margins are getting squeezed,” said Cannabase CEO Jennifer Beck. She added that there’s “absolutely” a price crash on the way for Colorado’s marijuana industry, but optimistically predicted that it’ll wind up being a “blip on the radar” in the long term.

Fox painted a much darker picture. A year ago, she was purchasing wholesale cannabis from other shops for $4,000 a pound. Since then, it’s gone down to an average of $2,000 a pound in recent months, she said.

In mid-February, Fox had sellers offering her marijuana for just $1,200 a pound. And she fully expects that by the summer, wholesalers will be offering marijuana to shops for $500 a pound.

“The people that are in this industry better be ready for a war, and it’s going to be a bloodbath this summer,” Fox said.

Fox said that’s one of the reasons she’s decided to sell her Denver store and move full-time to Salida, a mountain town three hours southwest of the state’s largest metro area, where she has a second smaller cannabis shop. She’s even willing to lose out on a possible profit from selling 3D just because she doesn’t want to have to deal with the price war she sees on the horizon.

“I know if I could give it another few months, I might be able to get a little more for it, but with the impending price collapse, and the wars that are about to happen, I feel that now is a great time to exit the competitive market,” Fox said.

Overproduction = Black Market Boost

Michael Elliot, the executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group, said he’s been hearing from concerned companies that overproduction could lead some desperate cultivators to turn to the black market, to get whatever price they can instead of simply destroying product they can’t unload.

“What I’ve heard is there’s a lot of low-quality product out there, and I’ve heard a lot of people are concerned that because it’s low quality, it’s not going to sell,” Elliot said. “(Diversion to the black market) is one of the core eight principles that the Department of Justice discussed that we as a state have to do everything we can to prevent. So the problem with overproduction is if we’re producing more than is being demanded in Colorado, that’s the danger, is that it leads to illegal diversion.”

Elliot’s worry is that if the issuance of new business licenses by the state leads to overproduction, and if that in turn winds up boosting the black market either in Colorado or outside its borders, then it could become a much larger problem for the industry as a whole.

He went so far as to suggest some “reasonable caps” for the Colorado cannabis industry, and said the fact that there are already some production caps is a step in the right direction. The MED might even consider slowing down or stopping issuing new licenses for a while, Elliot said.

“We’re not taking a position right now on whether they should stop issuing these grow licenses,” Elliot stated, but added that it’s “certainly something they could do to help address the problem.”

Not All Gloomy

Others are still upbeat about the forces at play in Colorado’s market, and say it’s too soon to tell what the long-term effect of so many new businesses will be.

“Really, it’s going to take several more months to see the impact on the market,” said Christian Sederberg, an attorney who works closely with the cannabis industry. “At this point, I think it’s too early to measure the impact. But in general, allowing new people to engage in the market as retailers and cultivators is a good thing.”

Sederberg also pointed to the tiny time frame for businesses between Oct. 1 – when the MED first started handing out new business licenses – and February. That small of a window, he said, wouldn’t yield enough data to really assess how the October changes have really affected the industry across the state.

That being said, Sederberg added that he wouldn’t be surprised to see some businesses fail this year – or get bought out – with the added competition.

“These are difficult business plans to sustain, especially if a lot of your competitors are already vertically integrated,” Sederberg said.

For some in the trade, however, the boom in licenses and growers has been good news. Edibles manufacturers, for example, now have far much more to choose from when it comes to picking the right product.

“We had periods of time last year when access to trim was challenging,” said Joe Hodas, chief marketing officer at Dixie Elixirs. “We didn’t have it when we needed it, and now we have pretty safe supply, to we’re able to produce products on an appropriate schedule, we’re not back-ordered on things, so we’re definitely seeing a benefit there.”

Product Description

The Cash Crop grow box is the perfect personal grow system. It comes with everything you need except seeds or plants. This complete grow system grows plants from seed to harvest. An upgrade from the Cash Crop 3.0, the Cash Crop 4.0 6 plant hydroponics grow box is our original discount grow box that is not only easy to use, but also very affordable. This popular indoor gardening system is very popular for good reasons. The price beats anyone out there and we guarantee you’ll be impressed with this high quality grow box. You also get a lifetime warrantywith this grow system.Truly a risk free purchase. The grow box comes with everything you need to grow including nutrients, both spectrums of bulbs (3 each), grow and flower essentials. There are more lumens in the cash crop than aero-garden deluxe. This smell proof, whisper quiet, and light proof personal garden is easy to use. Just pop in your seeds and watch it grow. Comes with everything you need, including a self-cooled cabinet and a hiflect insulation for maximum light usage and plant growth. Also included are a 6 plant hydroponic grow system with pump and oxygenator, 6 net pots, 6 grow cubes, nutrients, 3 grow bulbs, and 3 flower bulbs. Lock and key with carbon filter in exhaust and ona block deodorizer included for smells you may not want. Plants will grow and thrive in this unit. They will grow filling the entire box guaranteed or your money back! The Cash Crop is the ultimate personal growing machine. Auto-flower plants are amazing for this grow box. Tomatoes, herbs, and peppers will grow easily in this unit all year round. Simply put, the Cash Crop is the best personal grow box for sale on the market today.

Produces 5 pounds of dried plant matter per year!

The Cash Crop 4.0 ships for FREE (Today Only) with Fedex via stealth shipping. We ship within 2 business days so you will get your fully assembled Cash Crop very quickly! The 6 grow lights are each 60w CFL bulbs so you will use a total of 180w per growth stage.

Note: Please select either the Deluxe or Standard version from the drop down box above.

The Cash Crop is a fully automated grow box that grows ANY plant from seed to harvest in 8 weeks. Add the Co2 Enhancer and you will harvest in 6 weeks instead of 8. The Cash Crop 4.0 been totally upgraded to fit your growing needs! The 4.0 version comes with more numerous and higher quality parts. Some of these parts include:

Quantity 3: 2700k CFL Flowering Bulbs

Quantity 3: 6500k CFL Grow Bulbs

3 foot model of Cash Crop comes with hanging light system so you can raise and lower your lights

Does the Cash Crop 4.0 grow from start to finish? Can I put seeds in there?

Yes! You can put your seeds in there (see instructions) and harvest when your plants fully grow!

I am looking for a totally stealth grow box and wish to grow my plants privately. Can you guarantee this?

Yes! We have upgraded the Cash Crop 4.0 so that it is a 100% stealth growing system. This means that you won’t notice much any difference in your electricity bill, you won’t have any light leakage or scent leakage issues, the system is whisper quiet, and you will have the ability to lock your Cash Crop 4.0 for added security.

Is there enough room to grow in the Cash Crop 4.0?

Yes. The Cash Crop supports all kinds of plants. Also, most plants bend inside of the box which adds to the space allotted to grow. It also works great for clones and mother plants.

How do you ship? How long does it take? How will I know when my package has shipped?

We typically use Fedex for our shipments. We take approximetely 2 business days to build and ship your grow box. We also email tracking numbers upon shipment so that you can track your package.

I am a first time grower and have never grow with hydroponics. What if I get confused?

The Cash Crop 4.0 comes with unlimited phone and email support. It also comes with a written step-by-step instruction manual to guide you through the process. We will help you in every way we can.

Does the Cash Crop 4.0 give off much heat? Does it use a lot of electricity?

We have designed the Cash Crop 4.0 so that it uses the minimal amount of electricity. This grow box uses less electricity than a mini fridge. In fact, you may not even notice any change in your monthly bill. Also, the heat output is extremely low when using CFL bulbs and an intake/outtake air-flow system.

Yes it is! The only reason we offer the soil version in our drop down menu above is because some customers prefer soil. However, we recommend growing in hydroponics because it is cleaner and faster than traditional soil gardening. Also, if you do order the soil version, you will get a few different parts (IE soil pots). You should only get soil if you prefer growing in soil otherwise we recommend growing hydroponically.

What about warranty?

We offer a whopping lifetime warranty on your Cash Crop 4.0. If you have any issues with anything at all, please contact us and we will replace your parts for free!

Is the grow box completely assembled upon delivery?

Yes. The box is fully assembled.

I’d like to maintain privacy. Do you offer discreet billing & shipping?

Yes! Do to popular demand, we offer discreet shipping on ALL of our boxes. Also, our charge on your debit or credit card doesn’t include any terms related to hydroponics. If you want extended privacy, you can use a gift card.

Do you sell any other grow systems?

Yes, we have a large selection of turnkey hydro systems throughout our online catalog.

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Works wonders!

CashCrop 4.0 box review

The product was well-packaged and all advertised contents were included. The product is well represented by the photos/descriptions on the web site. I’m satisfied.

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John

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Cash Crop 3.0

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]]>235Tribe Threatens Florida: A Casino Or We Grow Pot.http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=232
Mon, 23 Feb 2015 03:52:11 +0000http://americanreefer.com/weedpress/?p=232If the state rejects the deal, the tribe is within its rights to sue to use the land to grow marijuana February 21, 2015 An Alabama native American tribe that operates casinos in Florida informed the state that if it doesn’t allow them to expand their casinos, they will have no choice but to start […]

If the state rejects the deal, the tribe is within its rights to sue to use the land to grow marijuana

February 21, 2015

An Alabama native American tribe that operates casinos in Florida informed the state that if it doesn’t allow them to expand their casinos, they will have no choice but to start growing marijuana on the land designated for the expansion.

The Poarch Creek Band of native Americans told Florida Governor Rick Scott that if the state’s Republican-controlled House and Senate refused to allow the tribe to operate a casino on land it owns in Escambia County, it would endeavor to grow and distribute marijuana on the land in accordance with the regulations that the federal government has imposed on states that have legalized the trade.

The chairwoman of the Poarch tribal council, Stephanie Bryan, said that the tribe is “entitled to negotiate a compact with the state.”

If the state rejects the deal, the tribe is within its rights to sue to use the land to grow marijuana, as this past December the Department of Justice stated that tribes can grow and distribute marijuana on their sovereign land — even if the state in which that land is situated has not legalized marijuana.